Face cover for playing rackets



Aug. 14, 1934. I H. w. HALL FACE COVER FOR PLAYING RACKETS Filed Aug. 12, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet Aug. 14, 1934, H w, HALL 1,969,842

FACE COVER FOR PLAYING RACKETS Filed Aug. 12, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UN l'TED STATES PATENT FACE COVER FOR PLAYING RACKETS '9 Claims.

T piece between and joined to the two handle portions of the racket which extends a slight distance up into the two bow head portions, leaving joints which are exposed and which may be fractured in hard play unless reinforced. To reinforce these joints and strengthen the racket it to the appearance of the racket; but are expensive, and become loose and worn after the racket has been used so that they require replacement, and as they cover some of the string holes it makes stringing more diificult, consequently for many years some means has been sought to replace these strings with something more durable and equally attractive.

1 One of the objects of my invention has been to provide a face cover forth'e shoulders and throat of a playing racket which has the necessary strength to reinforce the racket, is so attractive that silk'strings around the bow may be dispensed with, and is capable of being made in a number of varieties of colors and combinations of colors. Still another object has been to provide a quantity method of manufacturing such a cover so that the cost per unit is very low,'thus providing an article at a low cost which reinforcesthe racket, greatly adds to its attrac= 49 tiveness, will endure as long as the racket, and maybe made in a variety of colors and designs. In other words; my new face" cover provides in one article all the advantagesthat other face covers, together with a plurality o'f'silk' strings wound around them, had. 'In making all parts of my new face cover all of wood I provide a uniformity of material inthe' racket and a harmonizing of colors and'designs throughout the racket which is not possible when anothermaterial is-used, such as silk strings;

The foregoing and other objects which will @Ppear'as thenature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a method of construction, combination and arrangement of parts suchas is disclosed'by the drawings and specification. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and, therefore, I am ndt to be limited to the disclosures of the drawings and specification; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom asfall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawingsi Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wood board ready to be cut into blocks, the dot and dashes indicating the cutting line's. t t

Figure 2 is a perspective detail view of one of the blocks cut from the board shown Figure 1 of the drawings.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the pieces of veneer which are assembled with blocks such as are shown'in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an assembly of blocks and veneers ready to be trimmed.

Figure 5 is a front elevation of the assembly shown in Figure 4, showing band saws 'trimrifirig the assembly.

Figure '6 is a side elevation of the assembly shown in Figure 4, showing the cross cut saw cutting the assembly into individual face covers". Figure 7 is a perspective or rivate cover,- after Having been cut from the assembly shown in Figure 8is a front elevation showing my face cover covering the crescent which starts from one shoulder of the racket" and goes across'the upper part or the throat to" the ether shoiild'e'r, ready to be finished. i r j Figure 9 is a front elevation showing'a' coin pleted racket with my face cover in place and finished. g g

Figure 10' is a detail cross-section taken an the line 10'10 of Figure 9 illustrating the veneers between the blocks on both faces of a racket.

As illustrated, in forming these face covers I take aboard 12of any c'olor'of suitable waaaee; sired and cut it; asifi'clicated ylthe cuttihgnnes 13, into blocks 14. I find it' preferableand more economical to out one board into blocks alter the same size and shape, and in Figure 1 of the drawings I have illustrated a board all marked to be cut into theblocksl l' which formthe'c'e'nter of my face cover, that-is, the'pa'r't which extends across the throat. Similarly the other blocks 18 are out out ofboards; taking care to cut them'at the correct angle so they will foim'a certain portion of the face cover without any bending whatsoe'ver', and preferablyhaving the grain of the wood run longitudinally of said'b'locksi It isaii important feature to form my face cover of blocksof wood out to certain shapesso that th I10 found it advantageous to use a board about 1%" thick and about 8" wide, the width determining the number of face covers that can be cut from the assembly, which in the present instance will provide about 56 face covers.

Between the :center block 14 and the other blocks 18 I place veneers 15 to which glue or other adhesive 16 is applied. The number of veneers, the color of the wood used, and their position may be varied at will, all depending upon the appearance of the face coverthat is desired. These veneers may be cut from various colors of wood, and may be of any thickness, although veneers of from a," to e thickness would be most commonly used. They are assembled with the blocks 14 and 18, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, to form a complete assembly 17 from which a number-of face covers may be cut. Said veneers 15 are laid together with said blocks and form the angle desired in the completed face covers, and as'illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings they extend across the face'cover approximately at right angles to the longitudinal direction of'the blocks on either side of them, all of said veneers being shown at such angles in the drawings that the axial lines of the veneers on one side of said center block 14 intersect the axial lines of the veneers on the other side. The angles at which the ends of said blocks 14 and 18 are out determine the angles of said veneers.

' After forming said assembly 17 and allowing the glue 16 to set, a band saw 20 is preferably used to rough trim the assembly to approximate shape, taking something-off on the outside and inside of said assembly, as illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. This sawing saves a great deal of sanding which would otherwise be necessary after the face'cover is glued on the racket, and this sawing is done particularly accurate at the bottom of the center block 14 'to bring this portion down to the desired shape, because inasmuch as the throat and bow head portions of the racket abut against the bottom edge it would be diffi-' cult to cut this bottom portion down after it was glued in place on the racket.

The assembly -1'7 is nowv ready to be cut into individual units and I have illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings a cross-cut saw 21 cutting off the individual face covers 22, one of which'is illustrated in Figure '7 of the drawings. Said face covers 22 are ready to be glued on a racket 23, one on each of the twofaces of the said racket, covering the crescent portion of said racket,-which crescent starts at one of the shoulders of the racket and extends downwardly across the throat and up the other shoulder. After allowing-the glue to set these face covers 22 may be sanded and finished along with the rest of the racket; r a 7 It will be seen that'such a face cover for the crescent portion of the racket is a reinforcing member, made in a single unit, with the pieces of wood forming it in natural conditiomthat is, unbent and not under any strain, giving'distinctiveness and adding. beauty to the racket; and presenting an opportunity by means of the veneers for a variety of colors and designs. In other words, my face covers provide the desired strength, and also attractiveness and variety, and

yet by'means of my quantity method of production they: can be'made at a low cost. Furthermore, considerable time is saved in stringing a racket, as there are no silk strings covering the string holes to be thrust apart in order to insert the gut strings through the holes.

What I claim is:

1. A face cover for the crescent formed by the face portions of the shoulders and throat of a playing racket comprising a plurality of pieces of wood extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent and a plurality of pieces of wood extending across said crescent, all of said pieces being united together and forming a single unit.

2. A face cover for the crescent formed by the face portions of the shoulders and throat of a playing racket comprising a plurality of pieces of wood extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent and a plurality of pieces of wood extending across said crescent, said firstmentioned pieces having said second-mentioned pieces between them and extending at substantially right angles thereto, all of said pieces being united together and forminga single unit.

3. A face cover for the crescent formed by the face portions of the shoulders and throat of a playing racket comprising a piece of wood extending across said throat, a plurality of pieces of wood extending across said crescent and a plurality of pieces of wood extending up said shoulders, all of said pieces being united together and forming a single unit.

. 4. A face cover for the crescent formed by the faceportions of the shoulders and throat of a playing racket comprising a piece of wood extending across the middle of said throat, a plurality of pieces of wood extending across said crescent on either side of and united to said first-mentioned piece, and a plurality of pieces of. wood extending therefrom up said shoulders, all of said pieces being united together and forming a single unit. 115

. 5. A face cover for the crescent formed by the face portions of the shoulders and throat of a playing racket comprising a plurality of pieces .of wood extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent and a plurality of pieces of 20 wood smaller in size than the first-mentioned pieces extending across and forming complete portions of said crescent, all of said pieces being united together and of such size that they form aneven, unitary top surface.

6. A face cover for the crescent formed by the face portions of the shoulders and. throat of a playing racket comprising a plurality of pieces of wood extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent and a plurality of pieces of wood extending across said crescent at substantially rightangles to said first-mentioned pieces, all

of said pieces being united together and forming a single unit, all;of said second-mentioned pieces being substantially shorter than said first-mentioned pieces in the longitudinal direction of said crescent, said second-mentioned pieces being of such size and shape that they form complete portions of said cover.

'7. A'face cover for the crescent formed bythe face portions of the shoulders and throat of a playing racket comprising a plurality of blocks of wood extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent, one of said blocks extending across the throat portion, and a plurality of 5 groups of wood veneers on both sidesof said throat crossing block, said veneers extending across said crescent and pointing in such a direction that the axial lines of those on one side of said throat crossing block intersect the axial lines of those on the other side, all of said blocks and veneers being united together and forming a single unit.

8. A playing racket comprising a frame and a face cover united to and covering the face of said frame at the crescent portion that extends from one shoulder across the throat portion to the other shoulder, said face cover embodying a plurality of pieces of wood united together, some of said pieces extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent and of such shape as to conform to the curvature of said frame at said crescent and some extending transversely of said crescent.

9. A playing racket comprising a frame and a face cover united to the face of said frame at the crescent portion that extends from one shoulder across the throat portion to the other shoulder, said face cover embodying a plurality of pieces of wood extending in the longitudinal direction of said crescent and of such shape as to conform to the curvature of said frame at said crescent, and a plurality of pieces of wood extending transversely of said crescent and united to said first-mentioned pieces, said first-mentioned pieces being in substantially the same plane at their outer surfaces as said transversely extending pieces to which they are united, whereby said face cover has a smooth outer surface.

HORACE W. HALL. 

